Roy Halladay will be on the bump for the Philadelphia Phillies–but at what cost? What would the red pinstripes look like without those blockbuster deals? Did Rube Amaro barter away tomorrow’s champions?

TAL'S HANDY CAPS

CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT

Penthouse Occupancy for the 9-2 triumph: 3

The Crystal Champagne Toast is a salute to Chooch Ruiz.

Chooch Strikes Again With His 8th-Inning Tater

He supplied a solo blast in the 8th for the 3-2 endgame advantage. He was joined on the top floor by Hector Luna and Kyle Kendrick.

Kendrick stranded a runner on 3rd with 1 out in the 1st, keeping the Cubs off the scoreboard. He worked 6 solid frames on short notice despite his back-and-forth from the ‘pen. For an emergency outing, six complete is the maximum. Juan Pierre dropped bunts in the 1st (error) and 3rd (hit), adding a swiped bag during the 1st. He went 2 for 3 but his miscue was big at the time. In the 9th Jimmy Rollins initiated a double theft with Ty Wigginton. Luna went yard with a gland slam in the 9th as a pinch hitter.

Juan Pierre Commits His 4th-Frame Boot

The Big House Key was required for Pierre after he booted an easy fly ball. That play was after a 14-pitch at-bat and before a homerun in the 4th, changing a 1-0 lead to a 2-1 deficit.

Rally Tal & Cap in the 9th: Luna cleared the bases after a two-bagger, a HBP, a free pass, a single, a double steal and an intentional walk.

The Steakhouse served Luna 4 sirloins and a tater.

WELCOME, NEWCOMERS:

I will publish after every battle that is not washed out. The Phillies finished last summer 42 games over .500, which equaled a year of many positives. I will have many season-long highlights of puzzle pieces, especially important after drubbings and defeats.

SPECIAL REQUEST:

If you were directed here by a feed and this review does not mention yesterday’s contest, please go to my author archives or Phillies page for my most recent coverage. (Early morning readers may arrive before the latest post.) Scroll down to Tal’s Handy Links at the bottom. Thank you.

Juan Pilfers 2nd In The 1st

NITECAP INSIGHT

Trade Future:

Mac faked me out, which is why this direction was taken. I figure one thing out, it breaks down, and now it reacts differently after an overflow of similar articles from the competition on Vance Worley’s DL situation. This short write-up is for the inevitable questions about Amaro and all the diamonds he gave away. He only acquired Doc, Cliff Lee (2009), Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence.

The lineup would be the same except that Dom Brown would be in right and Hunter Pence would be on the ‘Stros. Lee would never have signed with the hometown 9, because he would never have been dealt here in 2009. It is doubtful that Jonathan Papelbon would have inked here, and Antonio Bastardo would be closing games.

Magic Juan Was A Thorn In Matt Garza's Side With A Bunt Single During The 3rd

Lou Marson would be backing up Chooch, while Jason Donald would be a utility infielder. Michael Taylor reached his ceiling at Triple-A even though the A’s have given him 2 MLB chances already. Travis d’Arnaud and Jonathan Singleton have dropped a notch since they advanced a level. Jarred Cosart had a rough first start at Triple-A after not being challenged by Double-A sticks.

Kyle Drabek is finally enjoying success over 8 appearances, which is a surprise for the Jays. That may not have happened here with a rotation of: Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco and Worley. Kendrick would have had the first shot ahead of Drabek, which is based on his numbers last summer in Canada. He was 4-5 with a 6.06 ERA for Toronto, and then went 5-4 plus a 7.56 ERA at Triple-A Las Vegas after being sent down.

Since the amateur draft was set up for parity in 1965, no franchise has had consecutive championship units. That said, the red pinstripes are the only organization to do it twice with 25 campaigns in between. Would you have kept the homegrown talent, or swapped for Doc, Cliff, Roy Oswalt and Hunter?

Doc Medicates The Friars In The 6th At The Bank On May 12

PRECAP PITCH

Roy Halladay:

He has the only clunker from the number ones over 20 performances. Without that eyesore, he has a 2.12 ERA for his other 7 showings, which is the hurler that most opponents face. His line against Chicago on April 27 at the Bank was: 7 INN, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K & 113 bullets.

He mostly struggles against the Phils, and the change of uniform has not altered his luck. He is one of those touted prospects that just doesn’t succeed with the parent club. His ledger against the locals on April 30 at the Bank was: 6 INN, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K & 84 darts.

DELIVERY = PITCHER’S 2012DEFINITION OF SEASON
Over The TopExcellent
3-Quarters SidearmGood
SidearmAbove Average
Short Arm Approximately Average
SubmarineBelow Average

Quality number of the pitcher: 1 – 5

Slot on his club: 1 – 5

Ranking is 1 to 5 & 15 for the less adventurous.

HURLERDoc HalladayChris Volstad
NUMBERA OneA Five
CLUB SLOTOneFour
FOR 20123-Quarters SidearmSubmarine
'12 RANKING2nd of 5 Categories5th of 5 Categories
LAST STARTSplit FingerKnuckleball*
LAST HIGH OR LOW4th of 15 Categories11th of 15 Categories

The program acronym is for Methodical Algorithmic Computerization or Mac. That is the feed system that had dogged me an entire month, but it allows me now to probe for a compatible solution. This only involves readers who were directed here from Fox Sports. The links in this section were recently passed over by a computer’s judgment. Does the national-and-all-major-sports machine understand Phillies commentary better than local fans? I discovered that the buttons and lights objected the most to the storyline when I submitted only that part. So, when the electrodes decide a Nitecap Insight isn’t to their liking, I’ll give my transferred readers a viewing opportunity the next day. I’ll keep score of acceptable to rejected submissions, because I don’t want a large readership excluded or my time wasted.

There are previews–time permitting–of my next storyline at Tal’s Handy Caps on Facebook. Join for notification of future glimpses, which will be almost daily. You’ll also know immediately when my isportsweb post goes up. It might be worth your while because there are delays of 2 hours on most feeds.

Check out my previous publication (The Centerpiece) and the 49 storylines–so far–for 2012 on the Phillies page or my author archives, where there is an excerpt photo.

Tal’s Handy Stats is daily coverage. I am alternating the 2012 ERA For The NL East and the 2012 ERA For The MLB 5. Thank you, to all who bookmarked the Phillies page.

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